KAREN APPS
  • about
  • stitch
  • books
  • collage
  • archive
    • gallery
    • altered/found objects
    • through the lens
    • artist bears

matilda -did you know

12/9/2014

1 Comment

 
'Did you know?'
fabric, paper, found box

“Did you know", Matilda said suddenly, "that the heart of a mouse beats at the rate of six hundred and fifty times a second?"
I did not," Miss Honey said smiling. "How absolutely fascinating. Where did you read that?"
In a book from the library," Matilda said. "And that means it goes so fast that you can't even hear the separate beats. It must sound like a buzz."
It must," Miss Honey said.”
 
Roald Dahl


Have to confess to using a little artistic licence in changing the quote slightly as, in fact, a mouse's heart beats at 650 times a minute.
Picture
The mouse took on several forms before the final one.
1 Comment

matilda- what she needed

12/9/2014

0 Comments

 
'What she needed'
Japanese paper, ink, lace

"What she needed was just one person, one wise, sympathetic grown-up who could help her."
Roald Dahl


Picture
Picture
The text, taken from the book, is all the mean things said to or about Matilda.

0 Comments

matilda- you are not alone

12/9/2014

2 Comments

 
You are not alone.

cigar box, various found objects

“So Matilda’s strong young mind continued to grow, nurtured by the voices of all those authors who had sent their books out into the world like ships on the sea. These books gave Matilda a hopeful and comforting message: You are not alone.”  Roald Dahl


I wanted to create a box of treasure that Matilda might have gathered together. Each object with its own significance. Amongst others there is a page from one of her favourite books- Jane Eyre, a jar of kind words and photos of all her favourite authors watching over her.

Picture
Picture
2 Comments

matilda-she devoured one book after another

12/9/2014

0 Comments

 
She devoured one book after another.
Chocolate, gold leaf.

‘She devoured one book after another.’ Roald Dahl

Picture

In order to cast the book I had to temper the chocolate. If not done correctly you end up with streaky, white, crumbly, chocolate and not what I was looking for. Tempering involved heating the chocolate to specific temperature, cooling and reheating. It was not as easy as it sounded in theory. Five different methods, three  thermometers, several kilos of chocolate and ten attempts left me with one usuable book.


These are a few of the fails...
0 Comments

matilda- silver wings

12/9/2014

0 Comments

 
Picture
Picture
Silver Wings
paper, aluminium foil, silver leaf

“You seemed so far away," Miss Honey whispered, awestruck.
"Oh, I was. I was flying past the stars on silver wings," Matilda said. "It was wonderful.” 

Roald Dahl



Several prototypes were made using various papers and gold or silver leaf.
0 Comments

matilda -books of the unexpected

12/9/2014

1 Comment

 
Picture

When I was asked to contribute to Books of the Unexpected, Roald Dahl’s  Matilda immediately sprang to mind. It is the story of a precocious little girl with special powers, who is neglected, overlooked and underestimated by her parents. When they fail to send her to school she teaches herself to read and her world is opened up. You could almost say the books or at least the authors become surrogate parents.

The work is not so much about the story but more about the character and her resilience, self-reliance and determination to learn despite her disadvantageous start.

My original idea was to create an imaginary archive or collection of fabricated objects that could have belonged to Matilda. Each piece was inspired by a particular quote from the book and by objects from the V&A collection.


It's unusual for me to have  fixed ideas  from the beginning but I knew almost instantly what I'd make. 


'Books of the Unexpected' is showing at Craft in the Bay, Cardiff  from 13th September until 2nd November 2014

http://www.makersguildinwales.org.uk/whats-on/exhibitions/details/325-artists-books
1 Comment

turn the page norwich 2014

11/9/2014

0 Comments

 
Tiny paper shoe 'footnotes'
Picture
Picture
Picture
Picture
0 Comments

work I like: deidre nelson

11/9/2014

0 Comments

 
http://dstitch.blogspot.co.uk
Picture

Picture
Picture
0 Comments

museum studies

11/9/2014

0 Comments

 
I have been on the Developing practice for makers through museum collections course at City Lit. London for the past year. It has been really great and I've enjoyed gaining a new perspective on my own way of working.
The first few months were difficult as we had to choose a collection or museum we might imagine our work being displayed in. Paralysed by the variety of choice I floundered a bit but heard about "Inspired by" -a competition organised by Morley Gallery in conjunction with The V&A.  The brief was to make something in response to an item in the collection of either the V&A or the Museum of Childhood.  Narrowing the focus was key for me. There was still an immense number of exhibits to choose from so 
after a few visits I took to looking at the online catalogue. This was really helpful and I probably looked at the objects much closer and  for longer than I would have in the museum where the volume of objects is overwhelming.

Picture
Eventually I settled a small layette pincushion from the C18th.
http://collections.vam.ac.uk/item/O202828/layette-pincushion-unknown/
I was fascinated to learn that straight pins would have been used to fasten clothing of even the smallest baby because safety pins were not invented until 1860. The gift of a pincushion would be given after the birth as it was believed that to receive it before would mean more pain in labour. I found that pins they were also thought to be protective and were hidden in a child’s clothing to ward off evil. This protective aspect of the pin made me think of the fears we have for our children not only when they are infants but into adulthood. I chose to use a found item of clothing and placed more than 5000 pins in the lining as little amulets of protection. The tiny jacket becomes a coat of armour but also suggests the dangers and damage caused by over protection.


Picture
Picture
Picture
Picture
Picture
Picture
I find the history of the humble pin fascinating and there is much more to explore ..
0 Comments

    Karen Apps

    I'm following my bliss.

    Archives

    July 2023
    May 2018
    May 2017
    June 2016
    July 2015
    June 2015
    April 2015
    March 2015
    September 2014
    August 2014
    April 2014
    March 2014
    February 2014
    October 2013
    May 2013
    January 2013
    November 2012
    September 2012
    August 2012
    July 2012
    June 2012
    May 2012
    April 2012
    November 2011
    October 2011

    Categories

    All
    A Grey Dot
    An Object Of My Own Making
    Artbookart
    Artist Bear
    Attachment
    Bbc One Show
    Book
    Books Of The Unexpected
    Camberwell
    Deacidification Of Paper
    Dear Ruby
    Deidre Nelson
    Developing Practice Museum Course City Lit
    Drawing
    Essay
    Eye Of The Storm
    Foundling Musuem
    From Fluffy Embroidery To Found Materials
    International Book Festival Arsenal
    Jing Yao
    Karen Apps
    Le Petit Bâtard
    Little Stitch Things
    Losing Touch
    Matilda
    Maya Ohashi
    Mindful Stitches
    More Grey Dots
    Morley College
    Museum Of Everything
    One Step At A Time
    Paper Shoes
    Richard Mcvetis
    Rosalind Wyatt
    Sequence Of Spaces
    Shades Of Grey
    Soap Babies
    Stitch Doodling
    Summer Reads 2013
    Ten Thousand Stitches
    Trust The Process
    Turn The Page 2013
    Turn The Page 2014
    Winnicott's Bear
    Work I Like
    Work In Progress
    Writing With A Needle

    RSS Feed

Proudly powered by Weebly
  • about
  • stitch
  • books
  • collage
  • archive
    • gallery
    • altered/found objects
    • through the lens
    • artist bears